Halloween is right around the corner, and we’ve been preparing like our lives depend on it. And maybe they do…spooky! We’ve got garlic garlands out to keep vampires at bay, have been working non-stop on our costumes (and our pets’ Halloween costumes, too), and we’ve been amassing a collection of Halloween candy (for the trick-or-treaters…allegedly) since early September. But now the real fun begins, because we’re ready to transform our home into a haunted house. The first step? Trying out this kid-friendly DIY Halloween decor project from Martha Stewart, that uses balloons and papier-mache to make giant spiders you can put all over the house.
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The project is really easy, and you can get as creative with it as you (or your kids) would like.
To make one spider, you need a big balloon and a small balloon. Inflate them both, then cover them with papier-mache. At its most basic, papier-mache can be made by mixing equal parts of flour and water together until you get a smooth slurry. Dip strips of newspaper into the mixture, wipe off the excess, then cover your balloon forms with the pasted newspaper strips. It’s messy fun but can be cleaned up pretty easily, making it a family-friendly task. Let the papier-mache dry.
Once your balloons are dry, glue them together. The small balloon is the spider head, and the large one is the spider abdomen. Paint these parts black, like Stewart, or get as creative as you’d like. Spray paint will make quick work of the job but it’s not as kid-friendly as using acrylic craft paints. Add any extra decorative touches that you’d like. A pack of googly eyes, craft feathers, and some glitter could all be fun here!
Next, make the spider legs out of floral wire that’s wrapped with paper tape to make little knee joints, then paint those too. You can poke those into the dried papier-mache balloons, which should be hard, and they’ll stay in place. You can add a dot of glue where the legs meet the body to make the connection extra secure.
Once your spiders are assembled, they’re ready to use! You can cut a hole in the belly of your spiders and hang them on the walls, or prop them up on your mantle, or find a way to stick them in your windows so the neighbors can see your creepy crawly creations, too.
Before you go, check out our slideshow below:
Watch: How to Make a Halloween Grazing Board
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